Janis Paige

Janis Paige, captured here in a 1946 glamour sitting. She was born Donna Mae Tjaden on September 16, 1922 in Tacoma, Washington. She moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school and earned a job as a singer at the Hollywood Canteen during the war years. The Canteen, which was a studio-sponsored gathering spot for servicemen, is where she was spotted by a Warner Brothers talent scout, who saw potential in her and signed her up. She began co-starring in musicals that often paired her with Dennis Morgan or Jack Carson, including Doris Day's film debut in "Romance on the High Seas" (1948). Following her role in "Two Gals and a Guy" (1951), she decided to leave the Hollywood scene and took to the Broadway boards, scoring a huge hit with the 1951 comedy-mystery play "Remains to Be Seen". She also toured successfully as a cabaret singer, performing everywhere from New York to Miami to Las Vegas to Los Angeles. Definitive stardom came in 1954 with the feisty role of Babe in Broadway's "The Pajama Game" opposite John Raitt. Her old Warner Bros. rival Doris Day, however, went on to play the role on film (The Pajama Game (1957)) with Raitt. After a six-year hiatus, Janis returned to films in tongue-and-cheek support, all but stealing "Silk Stockings" (1957) from co-stars Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. She then grabbed her share of laughs in a flashy role with the comedy "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" (1960) opposite Ms. Day. From the mid-'50s on, Janis also tapped into TV with such series as "It's Always Jan" (1955), "Lanigan's Rabbi" (1976) and "Trapper John, M.D." (1979). In the 1990s, among other TV appearances, she had recurring roles on the daytime serials "General Hospital" (1963) and "Santa Barbara" (1984). Married three times, she was the widow of Disney composer Ray Gilbert, who wrote the classic children's song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."

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